5x2 (2004)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

François Ozon

Writers:

François Ozon (scenario)
Emmanuèle Bernheim (scenario collaborator)

Release Date:

1 September 2004 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Five stages in the romance between a woman and a man.

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Hospital | Adultery | Italy | Female Frontal Nudity

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi	...	Marion (as Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi)
Stéphane Freiss	...	Gilles
Françoise Fabian	...	Monique
Michael Lonsdale	...	Bernard
Géraldine Pailhas	...	Valérie
Antoine Chappey	...	Christophe
Marc Ruchmann	...	Mathieu
Jason Tavassoli	...	American Man
Jean-Pol Brissart	...	Judge
Eliane Kherris	...	L'avocate
Yannis Belkacem	...	Nicolas
Sylvie Debrun	...	L'échographiste
Jean Neisser	...	Le Maire
Ninon Brétécher	...	Sophie
Marie-Madeleine Fouquet	...	La mère de Gilles
Pierre Chollet	...	Le père de Gilles
Carlo-Antonio Angloni	...	Le réceptionniste
Domenico Sannino	...	L'animateur italien
Andrea Cesolari	...	Le G.O.

Directed by
François Ozon

Writing credits
François Ozon		(scenario)
Emmanuèle Bernheim		(scenario collaborator)

Produced by
Olivier Delbosc	....	producer
Philippe Dugay	....	executive producer: Italy
Marc Missonnier	....	producer

Original Music by
Philippe Rombi

Cinematography by
Yorick Le Saux

Film Editing by
Monica Coleman

Casting by
Antoinette Boulat

Production Design by
Katia Wyszkop

Set Decoration by
Sophie Martel

Costume Design by
Pascaline Chavanne

Makeup Department
Franck-Pascal Alquinet	....	key hair stylist
Jérôme Balp	....	additional hair stylist
Michèle Carmitrand	....	additional makeup artist (as Michèle Carmintrand)
Isis Fouquet-Abrial	....	makeup trainee
Patrick Girault	....	key hair stylist
Lydia Molyn	....	trainee hair stylist
Gill Robillard	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Stefania Antonini	....	location unit manager
Francesco Belfiore	....	production manager: Italy
Cyrille Bragnier	....	unit manager
Florent Cocátre	....	unit manager
Johanna Colboc	....	assistant unit manager
Sébastien Didelot	....	assistant unit manager
Delphine Duverger	....	assistant unit manager
Federico Floris	....	unit production manager
Benjamin Hess	....	unit manager
Julie Léger	....	post-production manager
Claire Le Saint	....	assistant unit manager
Marie-Jeanne Pascal	....	production manager
Charlotte Puiroux	....	assistant unit manager
Pascal Roussel	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michaela Stella Bagnoli	....	trainee assistant director
Hubert Barbin	....	first assistant director
Cyril Duval	....	assistant director
Maia Etcheverry	....	second assistant director
Guillaume Huin	....	trainee assistant director
Chrystelle Robin	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Raphael Martin Barroso	....	carpenter
Paul Bellau	....	carpenter
Daniele Bignami	....	property master: Italy
Jeremy Chapelet	....	carpenter (as Jérémie Chapelet)
Yves Chaudesaigues	....	carpenter
Jerome Fortier	....	construction manager (as Jérôme Fortier)
Tristan Girault	....	property master
Alexandra Lassen	....	assistant art director
Bruno Lefebvre	....	key carpenter (as Bruno Lefevre)
Loïc Le Moigne	....	painter
Franck Miniconi	....	key painter
Corinne Pouchoulin	....	painter
Marie Rossignol	....	key painter
Pierre-André Roussotte	....	painter

Sound Department
Nicolas Becker	....	foley artist
Yannick Boulot	....	sound recordist
Nicolas Bourgeois	....	sound mixer
Samuel Dequidt	....	assistant sound editor
Jean-Pierre Duret	....	sound
Julien Gigliotti	....	assistant sound
Benoît Hillebrant	....	sound editor
Jean-Pierre Laforce	....	sound mixer
Vincent Laurence	....	sound recordist
Jean-Louis Lebras	....	boom operator (as Jean-Louis Le Bras)
Hacia Mendia	....	assistant foley artist
Yves-Marie Omnes	....	boom operator
Francis Perrard	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (as Francis Perréard)
Stéphane Reichart	....	sound engineer
Hervé Roux	....	stereo sound consultant: DTS
Brigitte Taillandier	....	sound
Florian Thiebaux	....	sound mixer
Vinca Vermesse	....	boom operator
Pascal Vonhatten	....	foley recordist

Special Effects by
Max Garnier	....	special effects
Sara Helminger	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Thierry Delobel	....	digital artist
Daniel Trujillo	....	digital effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Olivier Bouyssou	....	additional grip
Cédric Bureau	....	additional grip
Henri Deneubourg	....	trainee electrician
Patrick de Ranter	....	Steadicam operator
Johan Le Ruz	....	electrician
Stella Libert	....	camera trainee
Alexandre Louis	....	additional electrician
Stephen Mack	....	second assistant camera
Laurent Malek	....	electrician
Tom Mitaux	....	electrician
Jean-Claude Moireau	....	still photographer
Luis Peralta	....	electrician
Ivo Perondi	....	electrician: Italy
Mathias Raaflaub	....	electrician
Xavier Renaudot	....	gaffer
Carlos Ribeiro	....	grip
Benoît Rizzoti	....	first assistant camera (as Benoît Rizzotti)
Olivia Roudon	....	camera trainee
Hervé Rousset	....	key grip
Michel Sabourdy	....	gaffer
Christophe Sournac	....	electrician

Casting Department
Audrey Gatimel	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Agnès Giudicelli	....	additional costumer
Chloé Lesueur	....	costumer
Louise Rapp	....	costumer
Marina Tilocca	....	costumer: Italy

Editorial Department
Frédéric Barbe	....	assistant editor
Marine Benveniste	....	assistant editor
Richard Deusy	....	digital color timer
Christian Dutac	....	color timer

Music Department
Edouard Dubois	....	music consultant
Philippe Rombi	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Tony Arnoux	....	press attache
Stephane Beissy	....	production administrator
Thierry Chapat	....	production administrator
Sébastien Charles	....	choreographer
Johanna Colboc	....	production assistant
Jean-René Coulon	....	location manager
Lara dall'Antonia	....	production coordinator: Italy
Sandra Eckert	....	production assistant
Agnès Feuvre	....	script supervisor
Agathe Grau	....	script supervisor
Raphaëlle Isnard	....	production secretary
Virginie Lempereur	....	production assistant
Kamel Lyoubi	....	groupman
Aurelio Marino	....	accountant
Fanny Moriat	....	production assistant
André-Paul Ricci	....	press attache

Production Companies

• Canal+
• FOZ
• Fidélité Productions
• France 2 Cinéma

Distributors

• Alfa Films (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Artist Film (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• BIM Distribuzione (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Festive Films (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (theatrical)
• GAGA Communications (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Hollywood Classic Entertainment (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Homescreen (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Mars Distribution (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Prokino Filmverleih (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Saturn Films (2005) (Slovakia) (theatrical)
• THINKFilm (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Tarantula Films (2006) (Mexico) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• BMG France  soundtrack album
• Cinécam  camera equipment
• Locaflash  electrical equipment
• Orchestre Symphonique Bel Arte  orchestra
• TEST  titles
• Telegrip  grip equipment
• Télé-Europe  editing

Also Known As:

5 x 2: Five Times Two (Canada: English title) (festival title)
Cinq fois deux (France) (alternative spelling)
Five Times Two (International: English title) (long title)
Nous deux (France) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic sexuality, language and some drug content.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Taiwan:R-18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Chile:14 | Hungary:16 | Brazil:14 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | South Korea:18 | Japan:R-15 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 | New Zealand:R18 | Czech Republic:18 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:R21 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Hong Kong:III | Italy:VM14 | USA:R | Ireland:18 | Sweden:11 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

Sophie Marceau and Vincent Cassel were approached to play the parts of Marion and Gilles.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the hotel room scene early in the film, Marion's wedding band changes from the left hand to the right hand, then back to the left again.

Soundtrack:

Se Mi Perderai

Flawed but engrossing

5x2 comes as a slight let-down following director Francois Ozon's recent critical and commercial success with Swimming Pool.Ozon's decision to structure the film in an anti-linear fashion is nothing original and he himself admits he was influenced by Jane Campion's little-known TV film Two Friends (1985) which used the same structure. Ozon chooses 5 crucial scenes from the life of Marion and Gilles, a middle-class couple with a son, Nicholas, whose married life quickly disintegrates into divorce. Ozon begins with the austere divorce, finishing with the moment this would-be-couple met.

The reverse structure allows the viewer to consider what went wrong and decipher why the marriage ended so bitterly. It is fairly obvious the reasons why they divorced, but Ozon and his frequent collaborator, Emmanuelle Bernhein, are as interested in the psychological worlds of these two people as their mundane reality.

The film works for the most part, but some scenes are unbelievable: Gilles's boastful confession at the party with his brother; the scene in the woods with Marion and an American tourist. These scenes undermine the subtle nature Ozon employs elsewhere. He explains too much, which isn't his style. A better edit would have made this an even better film.

As for the music, the corny 1960's Italian love songs used to close each segment are plain awful. The triviality of the songs might offer an ironic counterbalance to what is happening on screen, but the effect is of a sneering, sardonic detachment on behalf of the director. It's as if Ozon wants to dismiss every aspect of romantic culture as a fallacy.The best musical segment is at the end where Ozon's longtime composer Philippe Rombi returns some panache to the film's audio sensibilities. Special mention should go to Paolo Conte's haunting Sparring Partner which is used in the dinner scene and in the final credits.

The acting is excellent,and the closing frame is a masterstroke.But it doesn't merit that many repeat viewings as his earlier Swimming Pool did.